What is of intrinsic importance to know is that, the main objective for having a holy convocation is to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings. For thus says the Lord, "These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day" (Leviticus 23:37).
It is also important to note what the Psalmist wrote in the Psalms saying. “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; bring an offering and come into His courts” (Psalms 96:8).
But what sort of an offering are we suppose to bring to the Lord when presenting ourselves before Him in this New Testament dispensation?
This is what the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day – a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire” (Exodus 29:38-40).
This pleasing aroma with all its paraphernalia is called the burnt offering. It consists of the Lamb, with its grain and drink offering. The Lamb was figurative to Jesus Christ himself, the grain offering was figurative to the broken body of Jesus Christ in the form of the Unleavened Bread, and the drink offering was figurative to the shed blood of Jesus Christ in the form of the wine. This demonstrates the expression of Christ’s love for us who “Gave Himself up for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling aroma” (Ephesians .5:2).
Now, concerning this offering, the Lord said to Moses, “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly (continuously, often) at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by My glory. So I will consecrate the tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Exodus 29:42-46).
As clearly shown, this offering is the prerequisite, the pass code so to speak, to present ones self before God, before He speaks to His servants, before the place of meeting is consecrated, and before the Lord takes residence among His people.
The Apostle Paul expressed a similar sentiment when he wrote; “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way open for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
In concluding religious directions the apostle Paul gave the following instructions; “The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore” (Hebrews 13:11-13).
This offering is of paramount importance. It is the offering which the High Priest is appointed to offer on behalf of man’s sins, and it is the only offering which can cleanse the worshiper from a guilty conscience, and present him/her holy, blameless, and irreproachable in the sight of God (Hebrews 5:1; 8:3; Colossians 1:14, 22, 1 John 1:7).
This offering is so important to God that He instructed Moses saying; “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them; “ My offering, My food [bread] for My offerings by fire, My pleasing odor, you shall take heed [be careful] to offer to Me at its due season” (Numbers 28:1-2).
Not only can it be confirmed that Jesus Christ is indeed that fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, but Jesus Christ also confirmed the fact that He is the bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
To be continued
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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